Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday hailed the passage of the Waqf  (Amendment) Bill, 2025 in Parliament as a “watershed moment” in the country’s collective quest for socio-economic justice, transparency and inclusive growth even as the principal Opposition party Congress said it will “very soon” challenge in the Supreme Court the constitutionality of the proposed legislation.

Meanwhile, protests against the Bill were reported from quite a few places across the country, including Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar and Assam as members of the minority community demanded immediate withdrawal of the Bill. The Congress said it will continue to “resist all assaults” of the Modi government on the principles, provisions, and practices that are contained in the Constitution.

Congress MP Mohammad Jawed moved the Supreme Court challenging the validity of the Bill, claiming it violated Constitutional provisions. The plea alleged the Bill imposed “arbitrary restrictions” on Waqf properties and their management, undermining the religious autonomy of the Muslim community.

On his part, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla chided former Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her remark that the Bill was “bulldozed through”, and said a senior member of Parliament casting aspersions on the House proceedings was “most unfortunate” as well as against the dignity of parliamentary democracy. Without naming Sonia, a member of the Rajya Sabha, Birla took a stern view of her remarks on the issue after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju raised the issue and asked the Speaker to give a ruling on it.

In the meantime, Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government swung into action to reclaim ‘illegally occupied’ Waqf properties in the State. Following the passage of the Waqf Bill, the State Government has instructed all District Magistrates to identify and initiate action against unauthorised Waqf properties.

The controversy over the support to the Waqf Bill continued to cast its shadow on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD (U) as three top leaders have quit the party ahead of the Assembly elections in the State this year-end. Nitish is leading the government in alliance with the BJP as NDA partners. 

A meeting of the legislators of the ruling National Conference (NC) and its alliance partners in Jammu and Kashmir, chaired by Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, passed two key resolutions to oppose the Waqf Bill as also the recent administrative decisions taken by the Lieutenant Governor.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also criticised the BJP for introducing the Waqf Bill, accusing it of attempting to divide the country. Banerjee promised that when a “new government is formed after ousting the current regime”, she would bring an amendment to nullify the Bill.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati too criticised the central government over the passage of the Bill, arguing that the legislation was “rushed through” Parliament without adequate debate and public consultation. She expressed concern over the way the central government handled the Bill, adding that such an important law required deeper scrutiny and a more inclusive approach.

The Bill was passed in the Lok Sabha with 288 members supporting it and 232 against it, while in the Rajya Sabha 128 members voted in favour and 95 opposed it. The Upper House also created a record by holding a lengthy debate on the Waqf Bill as Parliament has a history of marathon discussions, some stretching well past midnight with the longest such debate - lasting over 20 hours in the Lok Sabha, according to think tank PRS Legislative Research.

Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar highlighted the unprecedented 17-hour debate on the Bill, the longest sitting in the history of the House. The Lok Sabha functioned at 111% of its allotted time, while the Rajya Sabha surpassed its schedule by 117%, PRS data indicated. Parliament was adjourned sine die on Friday. Meanwhile, amid a row over change in stand over voting on the Waqf Bill, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) asserted during the day that it is a secular regional outfit and maintains equal distance from the BJP-led NDA and the opposition INDIA bloc led by the Congress. The party made the assertion after a group of senior leaders led by BJD's advisory committee convenor and deputy leader in assembly Prasanna Acharya met party president Naveen Patnaik on Friday evening.

The senior leaders held a detailed discussion with Patnaik on how the party's stand on the Bill changed overnight and some BJD MPs voted in support of the Bill.

“We had a detailed discussion with party president Naveen Patnaik and he reiterated that the BJD continues to remain secular. There has been no change in the party's stand as far as its secular character is concerned,” Acharya told reporters after the meeting.

He, however, avoided questions on how the BJD's stand changed on Bill despite its parliamentary party's announcement to oppose the legislation in Parliament.